


Stolen Moments

by Oricalle



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Immortal, Bittersweet, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:14:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29264112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oricalle/pseuds/Oricalle
Summary: Reincarnated as one of Vallhalla's finest valkyries, Laegjarn soars into an eternal battle against the forces of Death herself.Raised as a general of Hel, Gunnthra is forced into her path again and again.Together, they seek a fleeting peace.
Relationships: Gunnthrá/Laegjarn (Fire Emblem)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 14





	Stolen Moments

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Valhalla Laegjarn](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/755991) by @missdash_. 



> This fic is inspired by character designs by @missdash_ and @SylphEmblem.
> 
> [missdash_'s Valhalla Laegjarn](https://twitter.com/missdash_/status/1356472231874809857)
> 
> [Sylph's Hel Gunnthra](https://twitter.com/SylphEmblem/status/1350990221471584258)
> 
> Please give their lovely work a look!

Though a chasm of death churned below her, Laegjarn flew above it.

Her wings, spun of glass and light, cut through the sunless sky, shedding their glow upon the land below. Time and battle had wasted the world away, stripping it of all but its simplest rocky elements. To the warring gods, there was no use for mortal life, and all that could fade had been forsaken.

She descended upon the nameless land, her blade igniting as she dove feet-first into the fray. Even as her wings disappeared, Niu’s eternal flame lit the surroundings, displaying the creatures before her in all of their stark horror.

They were humanoid mockeries of a time when there was life, for the Goddess of Death who created them could never truly understand such a thing. Their forms twisted and writhed as they moved, gelatinous and fluid, and as they gazed upon Laegjarn with their empty faces, they began to bellow with rage.

As the monsters sloughed towards her, she fell into a familiar dance, one she had perfected over the centuries. She moved with expert precision, every twitch and shift measured to dodge or strike. Hel’s twisted minions were nigh endless on the battlefield, but Laegjarn had eternity on her side.

She could outlast them. She always had.

As the last creature fell, she stood alone in the ruined valley, only the discarded weapons of the fallen minions littering the ground around her. 

The ones she had slain would be back, she had no illusions about that. It was a cycle, and one she knew all too well. 

She breathed in, steadying herself with her blade at the ready, and prepared for the next step of the dance.

A chill filled the air as frost began to spread across the ground, forming webbed patterns of ice. As Laegjarn watched, Hel’s general stepped onto the battlefield, the bite of winter never far from her.

Just as she had in life, Gunnthra looked out of place on a battlefield. The shredded remnants of her gown shook at her waist as she walked, her gait heavy and unnatural. She looked back at Laegjarn with wide blue eyes, their color the same as the gelatinous substance that made up her torso. The undead leader regarded her rival with a silent stare, raising one hand as her armor began to glow a bright shade of orange.

There was no need for words. Not when they had done this so many times, and not when Gunnthra’s voice was not her own.

Jagged spikes of ice burst forth from the stones below, rising like spires. Each spike of ice multiplied, forming a wall of writhing frozen thorns that threatened to enclose Laegjarn within. 

As the air grew cold around her, Laegjarn took a running leap off of the hill and towards the encroaching ice, her will reforming her wings just in time to soar above its spines. It began to crack and splinter beneath her as she landed in a sprint, moving as quickly as her legs could take her. Though she dared not look, she could hear the gnashing of the frost behind her as it coiled in over itself, forming the shape of a scorpion’s tail as it renewed its pursuit.

Gunnthra had not yet moved, though her outstretched hand pulsed with pale magic. Laegjarn could see the bones in her translucent arm beginning to be covered in frost.

A pang of sympathy nearly broke her stride, but Laegjarn pushed forward, for both of their sakes.

Distant howling filled the air as Gunnthra’s other hand lifted towards the sky, her fingers clenching into a fist as she bent the skies to her will. Laegjarn had only moments to brace herself before the wind hit her at full force. She could feel her hair being blown back as she strained to stay upright.

With practiced motion, she dragged one glass finger across the top of Niu’s blade, letting the metal settle into a familiar divot in her body as the weapon began to glow. The flame that wreathed her sword began to climb up Laegjarn’s arm, but she would not burn. 

She couldn’t; not anymore.

As if being repelled, the fire trailed from the end of her finger, and Laegjarn spun in place, drawing a sigil in the air even as the galestorm raged and the crashing ice raced ever closer to her back. In a flash of scarlet light, the rune burst to life, uncoiling itself to form long chains of embers that hovered around Laegjarn’s body. It moved along with her as she began to run once more, chains spilling outwards until a whirling sphere of flame was all that was visible, streaking along the icy path.

Chunks of frost began to rip themselves away from the main body of the frozen structure, hovering in the air before hurling themselves at the flame-wreathed warrior. Vapor filled the air as she continued, unhindered, racing towards her opponent with inhuman speed.

Drawing back, Gunnthra tried to raise a wall of ice in front of her, but as Laegjarn approached, it melted away, the sheer heat of her form enough to reduce the general’s defenses to liquid. 

Laegjarn leapt over her rival, crashing to the ground below as if she was a comet. As she turned, she could see Gunnthra whirling around as well, the visible blue aura of another spellcast beginning to coalesce on her fingers.

She didn’t plan on giving her the chance to complete it.

Laegjarn lunged, the chains of flame parting to reveal Niu’s gilded edge slicing through the frigid air.

As the sword sank into Gunnthra’s chest, she heard the other woman gasp. 

The sound sent a chill down her back that put the freezing weather to shame.

Though blinding light radiated around her, Gunnthra’s vision dimmed as Niu was pulled out of her body. She staggered, struggling to keep her footing as blue essence seeped from the wound in her chest.

At the same time, the presence that filled her mind disappeared. Hel’s commanding voice, always so loud in her ears, faded to a scornful whisper. It scratched inside her skull one final time.

_“Useless.”_

The goddess of death abandoned her, off to inhabit another of her endless legions, and the sheer force of it knocked her backwards, her balance gone.

Once again, Gunnthra was dying.

Something warm and solid stopped her fall, wrapping around her torso and easing her back to her upright position. Feelings of fear and pain parted ways, to make room for a stability she had longed for for so long.

“Do you need me to carry you?”

Even outside of battle, Laegjarn’s voice reverberated in the air. Gunnthra shook her head, biting back the groan that threatened to come out. 

“N-No. I can...I…”

Unable to finish the lie, she winced as Laegjarn dipped an arm beneath her legs and lifted her gently into the air, the other still resting firmly on her back.

Looking upon the valkyrie, this close, was almost too dazzling for Gunnthra to comprehend. Her torso was formed of beautiful glass, all angles of its construction reflecting the light that pulsed from within her. Though her form was designed for combat, Gunnthra always found a surprising gentleness in the other woman’s touch, as if defying Thorr’s intentions. It was like nothing in Hel, and, she suspected, like nothing in Valhalla either.

Even despite that, she could feel the tingling pain of the wound Niu had left behind, and see the azure liquid that even now stained Laegjarn’s immaculate form.

These meetings only ended one way.

Laegjarn let her down at the edge of what must have once been the sea. The water, though murky and black, still stirred when one of the valkyrie’s boots was dipped inside of it. Forcing herself into a sitting position, Gunnthra slid a foot in as well.

It was cool, not freezing like ice or dry like her cell in Hel, but a refreshing cool that reminded her of a soft breeze. The feeling was relaxing, making her want to close her eyes and rest, but she didn’t dare risk slipping into unconsciousness. Not yet.

“Are you yourself?” Laegjarn asked, just as she always did. There was concern in her eyes, tinged with a bit of pity that Gunnthra was slightly ashamed to accept.

“I am.” 

In battle, Hel could puppet her every move, more weapon than general. Centuries ago, she had fought back, tried to keep herself from casting her spells or striking her foes, but defiance only brought her pain and punishment when undeath dragged her back into Hel’s grip. 

However, the Goddess of Death was a busy one, and she had many thralls to wield as her own. When her usefulness was at an end for a time, Gunnthra received what she craved most; a few scant moments of freedom.

They were treasures worth dying for.

As Gunnthra looked across the dark horizon, with waves lapping onto the beach below, she heard Laegjarn began to hum. It was a simple tune, nothing like the grand orchestras she had attended so long ago, but it was still the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.

With what little strength she had left, she tried to hum along with her.

Slowly, Laegjarn’s hand reached out for hers, her fingers caressing the back of Gunnthra’s gelatinous palm. The cold pain in her frozen arm began to fade, replaced with the pleasant warmth that radiated from the valkyrie.

“Thank you.” she whispered, afraid to waste her breath. In response, Laegjarn began to stroke her wounded fingers, tenderly gliding over each frigid tip.

“Think nothing of it.” Laegjarn replied. She was frowning, her eyes on the wound she had just inflicted. With trepidation, Laegjarn sighed, sinking slightly. It was a rare moment of weakness from someone so incredibly strong. Though she would never say so, something about seeing Laegjarn falter only made her look more fondly on the valkyrie. It served as a reminder that they had both once been mortal.

“Would that I could do more.” she continued. A glassy finger began to trace along the upper part of Gunnthra’s leg, riding over the ridges of orange armored plating that were forever bound to it. “I would like nothing more than to free you of this cruel role that Hel makes you play, to take these marks of violence from you and give you the rest that is so long overdue.”

“I believe you.” Gunnthra replied, nodding her head. “But it grants us nothing to dwell in fantasies. Though our time together is limited, we should cherish it.”

She leaned closer to Laegjarn, towards that gentle warmth that emanated so freely from the other woman’s center. For one who spent so long in the darkest of Zenith’s realms, sealed beneath the ground itself to await her next deployment in a never ending war, it was a more welcoming light than the sun itself, and with a heat that nurtured instead of burned.

As she rested against Laegjarn’s side, her eyelids became heavier, and the pain in her chest more dull and distant. Already, their meeting’s end was drawing close.

“Laegjarn?” she asked, trying to hide the fatigue in her voice.

“Yes?” 

“Could you bring me some food next time?”

Laegjarn chuckled, a deep and resonant sound. 

“What?”

“Of course, I don’t need it, but...I miss it, I think.”

The valkyrie smiled, and the sight of it brought joy to Gunnthra’s heart.

“Of course. I will bring the finest delights in Valhalla to you, should it be within my power.”

Gunnthra laughed, ignoring the way it sent ripples of diluted pain through her.

“Thank you, though I believe that the finest delight of Valhalla is already by my side.”

A blush rose to the skin that Laegjarn still possessed. She turned to look Gunnthra in the eyes, but her expression faltered. Gunnthra knew the end had to be near.

“I know not when I will be allowed back to the surface. Hel is...not fond of those who fail her.”

Laegjarn held her hands once again, leaning in so close that their noses nearly touched.

“I will wait as long as I must, if it is to bring joy to you once more. You have never deserved this fate.” Laegjarn’s eyes were aglow with a light that rivaled even her radiant core. “Someday, I shall free you from her chains, and I will bring you to a place so much better than this one. I swear it.”

It was a fantasy, Gunnthra knew well. But as the edges of her vision blurred, and she could feel Hel’s icy grip begin to pull her soul away once more, back to its otherworldly prison, back to the dark, back to somewhere she could neither see nor feel this blessed light, she didn’t particularly care.

With the last of her strength, Gunnthra closed the gap between them, her lips brushing slightly against Laegjarn’s.

In these stolen moments, blips in an eternity forged in war and death, they were together. And they were happy.

She pictured a world where they could be that way, always.

And as she drifted away, Gunnthra did so with a smile on her face.

**Author's Note:**

> Super Secret Author's Notes:
> 
> \- No matter where Hel deploys Gunnthra on the surface world, Laegjarn always seems to find her.
> 
> This was an interesting project to work on! When I saw Dash's Laegjarn design on Twitter, I loved it and wanted to do something sort of new and different with it. It made me think of Sylph's Hel Gunnthra and the wheels sort of started turning there, and I decided to try my hand at something a little more grandiose and dramatic than usual. An AU seemed like a good way to go about that.
> 
> I changed my usual writing style to try and emphasize the larger-than-life vibe I was going for, at least in the opening battle scene, and I'm glad I did! While I don't think I entirely landed it, to be honest, I'm grateful to have had the practice, and I think forcing myself outside of the usual box helped me learn.
> 
> While the ending is bittersweet, I wanted to ensure that some hope was built in as well. I'm strongly considering coming back to this for another chapter sometime, so if you enjoyed it, keep your eyes peeled! :p
> 
> I want to give a special thanks to Mal and RisingChaos for lending me their beta reader assistance for this fic!
> 
> And of course, an enormous thank you to Sylph and Dash for letting me use your wonderful designs in a story! I really appreciate it, and I hope I did them justice.
> 
> Please feel free to leave any feedback, it helps me out tremendously, especially with more experimental ideas like this one! I also just love getting comments, and I'm curious to know if you want more like this! For continued Laegjarn/Gunnthra blathering, check out my other fics on the subject or find me on Twitter @Oricalle! 
> 
> I hope that you have a wonderful day!


End file.
